Velvet
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Velvet is a laundress in a Victorian steam laundry. With both her mother and father dead, she is an orphan and has to rely upon her own wits to make a living. The laundry's work is back-breaking and Velvet is desperate to create a better life for herself. Then Velvet is noticed by Madame Savoya, a famed medium, who asks Velvet to come to work for her. Velvet is dazzled at first by the young yet beautifully dressed and bejewelled Madame. But soon Velvet realises that Madame Savoya is not all that she says she is, and Velvet's very life is in danger . . .
A romantic and thrillingly exciting new novel from an acclaimed and much loved historical writer for teens.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Mediums are all the rage in London at the dawn of the 20th century even Arthur Conan Doyle attends s ances. When the mysterious Madame Savoya plucks teenage Velvet Groves from her grueling job at a laundry, Velvet is thrilled. The work is easier, Madame is as kind as she is beautiful, and there seems to be a spark between Velvet and Madame's handsome assistant, George. Velvet's only concern is that the spirit of her cruel father who, Velvet fears, may have a few things to reveal about the night he died might visit her new employer. Given the author's background in historical fiction, it's no surprise that Hooper (Fallen Grace) has a strong handle on the details of the period; the novel's structure, though, is more problematic. Since Hooper gives readers access to Madame's private sessions in interludes scattered throughout the novel, they will realize that all is not as it seems long before Velvet does. Velvet's adventures remain absorbing, but older readers in particular will likely anticipate most of the plot developments. Ages 12 up.
